Feint
by eternalsailorsolarwind
Summary: Written for the long-ago bleach contest prompt: tease. Renji and Ichigo are sparring, and as usual, it’s a no-holds-barred match. Surprises ensue.


Feint

By: eternalsailorsolarwind AKA youkai_girl

Disclaimer: _Bleach_ and all of its characters are owned by Tite Kubo, his Japanese publishers, and Viz. I only play with them for grins and giggles.

A/N: Written for the long-ago bleach_contest prompt: tease. It never quite gelled right for me, but I think I have it now. Renji and Ichigo are sparring, and as usual, it's a no-holds-barred match. Surprises ensue.

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"You can do better than that," said Renji sourly.

Relaxing his stance, Ichigo frowned at his opponent, "What do you mean?"

The redhead snorted, "Gimme a break, Ichigo. I ain't exactly stupid, ya know." An orange eyebrow arched eloquently, and the lieutenant flushed. "There's no call to be insultin'."

In a flash, they were at each other again, _zanpaktou_ meeting in a flurry of blows. Zabimaru, already in _shikai_, elongated to use the tensile strength of its whip-like form to push the former _ryoka_ back several yards. Again, Renji called a halt to their spar, resting the toothed blade on his shoulder.

They were both already marked with minor injuries: bruises, scrapes, and cuts. Of the two of them, Ichigo was breathing harder, seemingly already tired. He had the worst of the cuts; one eye blinded by blood dripping into from a shallow slice near his hairline.

"Yer game's off, Kurosaki," said Renji mildly. "You sure yer up to this? Ain't no fun pickin' on someone weaker 'n me."

Ichigo shrugged at the insult, resting his weight on Zangetsu's hilt. "Its finals week and I pulled two all-nighters in a row thanks to some Hollows. But I still got enough in me to hand you your ass."

"Heh. You wish."

The redhead closed quickly, hammering away at the younger man, who just barely got his _zanpaktou _up in time to meet the assault. The heavy rain of blows made Ichigo grudgingly give ground, and the Sixth Division pushed hard at the substitute Soul Reaper's defenses.

Opening the distance between them, Renji fell back on an old, favorite move: the three-strike whiplash. He knew Ichigo would recognize it; he'd used it in their first battle in Soul Society. But given the lagging speed and strength of this opponent, even if Ichigo could time it properly, the redhead was sure the move would do its job. He prepared himself for an attempt at a counter-attack.

It never came. At least, not with Zangetsu. Instead, the former _ryoka_ ducked the final slash at him, and flash-stepped behind the _fukutaichou_ before Zabimaru could return to its resting point. Eyes widening at the unexpected – and _fast_ – move, Renji wheeled to face the orange-haired man. Stumbling into a defensive stance, he suddenly realized what was going on.

"Fuckin' tease," growled the lieutenant. "You been playin' exhausted to draw me out, haven't ya'?"

A grin reminiscent of Zaraki's was his answer. The next several minutes were not pretty. Ichigo easily battered through Renji's defenses. Finally, Zangetsu's blade at his throat caused the redhead to yield the match.

"Asshole," said Renji without heat as he sealed his _zanpaktou_ and sheathed him. "Where the hell'd you learn how to do something so…stupid and reckless? In a real battle, I'd a killed ya'."

"Yeah, right." Ichigo snorted in disbelief. "Where do you think I learned somethin' like that? Urahara. The man's a genius at making himself look weaker than he really is, and then doin' somethin' surprising at the last minute with his full strength. Or at least, enough to do the job."

Laughing at Renji's look of incredulity, the substitute _shinigami_ said, "It's true. _Geta-boshi_ set up his whole exile, knowing it'd be the only way to take on Aizen in the end. He knew the bastard would count him out – or at least down – because he was in the living world."

The redhead blinked at Ichigo in astonishment. "Yer kiddin', right? Okay, you ain't. Shit. But doesn't that make him…?"

"The biggest fuckin' tease ever? Damn straight. And that asshole just laughs when I yell at him about it, too."


End file.
